We celebrate our Blackland Prairie Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists for National Volunteer Month with a spotlight on our John W. Garbutt, a dedicated naturalist who uses photography and storytelling to bridge the gap between our community and the natural world.
John W Garbutt
Cooper’s Hawk
Remember the ‘white aliens’ of 2020? 👽 For this week’s Flashback Friday, we’re revisiting John Garbutt’s wonderful chronicle of a Cooper’s Hawk family—from incubation to the surprise discovery of ‘Thing 5.’ It’s a beautiful reminder of the magic we find when we slow down and observe.
Finding Happiness Through Sharing Nature
John W. Garbutt – Class of 2019- Over time, I learned to find happiness alone through nature. A majority of the learning has been from behind the camera’s viewfinder, the eye piece on my binoculars; and through contributing to the chapter’s monthly newsletter, Shaking the Trees.
My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Spring
John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- It was near the end of February when my sister brought up the imminent arrival of Barn Swallows. Usually the first migrant, the avian harbinger of spring arrives in early March. A couple of years previous, I had seen my first one on the last day of February. It was a day or two later that my sister had the same experience with a February Barn Swallow.
My Summer Goodbye to the Night-Herons
John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- It was a warm and windy Fourth of July. As I approached the pond, the sound of Chimney Swifts and their successful broods greeted me. Arriving at the pond, I hoped to see the fledgling Yellow-crowned Night-Herons exploring for the first time.
My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 4
John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – By the second weekend of May I anticipated finding evidence of hatchling or nestling stage herons. When attempting to find evidence that the eggs have hatched, I look for many things.
My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 3
John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – “Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.”- Sean O’ Connell- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
My Spring Amongst the Night-Herons- Part 1
John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – “It is fortunate, perhaps, that no matter how intently one studies the hundred little dramas of the wood and meadows, on can never learn all of the salient facts about any one of them.”- Aldo Leopold, “Sky Dance”- A Sand County Almanac
Thoughts From Behind the Viewfinder Vol 3.
John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- When the end of October nears, my thoughts are not of candy and costumes but of the waterfowl arriving to North Texas. In the midst of suburbia, it seems that every branded neighborhood or park contains artificial bodies of water or ponds fed by diverting water from an existing creek. In doing this, “we” have unintentionally, or perhaps sometimes with purpose, created a plethora of winter homes for waterfowl seeking respite from the frozen bodies of water in which they were raised.
Thoughts From Behind the Viewfinder Vol 2.
John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- I have been fortunate to have a few memorable encounters at Frisco Commons. Some of my favorites are my first Golden-winged Warbler, my first Least Bittern, a Ring-necked Pheasant, coyotes, a Great-horned Owl, Eastern Screech Owls, bobcats, and the Cooper’s Hawk and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron nests.
One of the most recent encounters was of a pair of Bobcats.